The loss of the historic company, threatened by Ford's shock decision
to withdraw it and Jaguar from Formula One after the Brazilian grand
prix, would also have been disastrous for the entirely
Cosworth-powered US-based championship.

The news is also good for back-of-the-grid F1 team Minardi, whose
principal Paul Stoddart was preparing to dust off the old '01-spec
'European' (Cosworth) V10 engine to race in 2005.

Toyota 'low point'
(GMM -- Oct.28) Toyota's situation in Formula One is no different to
the one Mike Gascoyne corrected in the past, the technical director
has insisted.

Gascoyne, who joined the Cologne squad from Renault (nee Benetton)
last December, said his former team had similar problems at the start
of the 2001 season.

He said: ''This year was always going to be difficult. What we have to
deliver now is the same amount of progress, for 2005, that we had at
Benetton (in 2001-2002).''

Toyota's biggest problem is still aerodynamics, Gascoyne also
admitted.

''It's the key area of development on the chassis for next year,'' he
confirmed. ''We're pushing very hard.''

Gascoyne said potential point scorer Ricardo Zonta's blow up at
Spa-Francorchamps, with two laps to go, was the low point of the 2004
season.

''If we hadn't done that,'' said the Toyota technical director, ''it
would have helped us.''

From Melbourne next March, drivers will do a low-fuel lap on Saturday
afternoon and a race-fuel lap just hours prior to the grand prix, and
the grid will be determined by adding the lap times together.

Trulli, an Italian, commented: ''I haven't had a serious think about
it yet -- we will adapt to it and it will be more predictable than
now, I think.''

As for a driver's approach, though, the 30-year-old said an aggregate
system ensures that 'making a mistake' on track is out of the question
-- but pushing the car hard is also a must.

Jarno Trulli said: ''You couldn't really risk the car in
pre-qualifying this year, but next year will be completely
different.''

Ferrari should 'do a Rossi'
(GMM -- Oct.28) Champion F1 team Ferrari should accept the challenge
and 'do a Valentino Rossi,' rival grand prix principal David Richards
has said.

BAR's chief essentially dared Jean Todt to put the final signature on
the almost unanimous initiative that moves to negate Ferrari's
advantage of owning two private test circuits.

''(Valentino Rossi) could have won many more MotoGP championships with
Honda,'' Richards told Autosport, ''but he undertook a greater
challenge by moving to Yamaha. I think Ferrari should (do a similar
thing.''

Richards said if Ferrari demonstrated it could still win the
constructors' title so easily with just ten days of in-season testing,
they would 'prove their strength. (And) the sport needs it.'

''Maybe you will be quite surprised at that spread,'' said Ron Dennis,
whose (McLaren) team's carmaker partner - Mercedes-Benz - is one of
the 'GPWC' championship members.

$22m represents about four percent of an average manufacturer-backed
F1 team's annual budget in 2004.

This week, the GPWC group - also including Renault, Ferrari and BMW,
but no longer Ford - appointed a respected organizing company and
reiterated the threat to quit F1 'no later than' 2008.

A McLaren 'insider' hinted to UK newspaper The Guardian that it
regrets signing up for the current revenue distribution system, a part
of the 1998 'Concorde Agreement', which runs to 2007.

''We should have pushed for an even better deal,'' the insider said.

Brit TV lose F1 sponsor
(GMM -- Oct.28) UK Newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' will not renew a
$8.3 million sponsorship of Britain's Formula One television coverage,
we can reveal.

The cut-price agreement with broadcaster ITV, who have a six-year deal
with Bernie Ecclestone, was signed after former lucrative sponsor
Toyota withdrew backing for 2004.

'Hakk is back' after all?
(GMM -- Oct.28) Double world champion Mika Hakkinen may still return
to Formula One in 2005, we can reveal.

Prior to Sir Frank Williams' (failed, as it turned out) signing of
Jenson Button, the monosyllabic Finn - who 'retired' from the sport
after eight seasons with McLaren in 2001 - negotiated secretly with
the Grove-based chief.

''I was totally serious (about coming back),'' he said.

But, when the Button-saga went to the contract recognition board for a
protracted ruling, Hakkinen decided against waiting and simply told
both Williams and BAR - who may also have had a vacancy - that all
deals were off.

But that was then ...

Williams' long-time partner Patrick Head told Autosport this week that
signing Hakkinen after three years on the bench would be a 'risk.'

He added: ''But you have to think seriously about a man who has the
talent to twice beat Michael Schumacher to the title.''

Schu to help German team
(GMM -- Oct.28) Michael Schumacher's fabled love of Germany and soccer
may be put to good use, a British tabloid newspaper has reported.

Germany's national football team manager, Oliver Bierhoff, was quoted
as saying the seven time Formula One world 'knows how to win' at the
highest level.

It is suggested that Ferrari's 35-year-old driver, born in a small
German town not far from Cologne, may help the squad with 'mental
coaching.'

'We're still friends'
(GMM -- Oct.28) Flavio Briatore reckons firing Formula One driver
Jarno Trulli in 2004 has not 'broken' the Italians' former close
relationship.

''Not at all,'' the flamboyant Renault principal said.

He commented: ''If I want to call (Jarno) and say 'let's go out for
lunch or dinner', then I can do that.''

54-year-old Briatore said he replaced Monaco winner Trulli, first with
former world champion Jacques Villeneuve and then (in 2005) Giancarlo
Fisichella, because the now Toyota racer 'was not motivated.'

'I just drive' - Kimi
(GMM -- Oct.28) Patrick Head has warned observers to save analysis of
McLaren's new pairing, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, until
after the first grands prix of 2005.

Williams' engineering veteran, who had several infamous altercations
with the feisty South American, said 29-year-old Montoya has both
strengths 'and weaknesses.'

''(Kimi and Juan) could be the best of mates until Melbourne,'' said
the Englishman, ''where one of them will beat the other.''

25-year-old McLaren incumbent Raikkonen, meanwhile, vowed to not waste
time this winter worrying about next year's new qualifying,
aerodynamic, tyre and engine regulations.

''There's no point (thinking about it),'' said the plain-speaking
Finn. ''You can't change it -- I let everyone else make the decisions
so I can just drive the car when they tell me (to).''

'Thanks for Williams drive'
(GMM -- Oct.28) There is a worthy place for both Jaguar and Minardi in
the Formula One pitlane, Mark Webber has suggested.

The rated driver, who started his career in one of Paul Stoddart's
black back-of-the-grid cars before spending two seasons with the
Leaping Cat, said he'd had a 'lucky' run to the front of the grid.

''I've got a Williams seat on the back of (those teams),'' the
27-year-old Australian star revealed.

He added: ''Every time I walk past the Minardi garage I go and see the
guys, and that is something I will miss if these (Jaguar) guys are not
here any more.''

Sauber survival
(GMM -- Oct.28) Formula One's 'third' independent team is in no
immediate danger of going out of business, Peter Sauber has stated.

Unlike Jordan and Minardi, the only other surviving F1 competitors
without the backing of an automobile giant, the little Swiss team's
owner revealed that Sauber comfortably 'stood our ground' in 2004.

''We even managed to open (a lead) to the world's second and third
largest automotive manufacturers, Toyota and Ford (in the
constructors' world championship),'' he boasted.

Peter Sauber said the Ferrari-powered team, which is based in Hinwil
(Switzerland), is accustomed to 'making highly efficient use of ...
limited resources.'

Ville was 'error' - Renault
(GMM -- Oct.28) Renault 'made a mistake' in hiring Jacques Villeneuve
to drive the final three grands prix of 2004, F1 team president
Patrick Faure has admitted.

The Frenchman said he and Renault principal Flavio Briatore
'underestimated' how long a former world champion would take to get up
to speed after a 12-month lay off.

Faure told Eurosport: ''We thought he could immediately come back and
fight -- but F1 has changed. Physically, he needed many more months of
competition.''

33-year-old Villeneuve himself, though, called the experience 'very
useful' if only to aid the preparation of a full time return for
smaller team Sauber next year.

The French-Canadian said: ''Unfortunately, there were no points to
celebrate, but at least in Brazil I was competitive.''

Toyota need downforce - Trulli
(GMM -- Oct.28) Toyota will remain in the midfield until the F1 team
find more downforce, Cologne's new driver Jarno Trulli said on
Thursday.

The former Renault star debuted in the TF104B at Suzuka, and raced
again in Brazil last weekend. ''I have noticed a high rate of (tyre)
degradation at the rear,'' the 30-year-old Italian revealed.

''Generally, there is just not enough grip.''

Jarno Trulli is provisionally scheduled to participate in Toyota's
first test of the pre-season period, at Barcelona in late November.

2005 team-mate Ralf Schumacher will also be present.

F1 to recoup aero loss
(GMM -- Oct.28) Formula One teams will have recovered most of the
losses caused by an aero rule change by the time the circus arrives in
Melbourne next March.

Alterations, mainly to the diffuser but also to the front and rear
wing, compromised around 30 per cent of a car's overall downforce when
tested separately in Ferrari and Williams' wind tunnels.

But Ferrari's technical director, Ross Brawn, hopes to halve that
projected figure between now and the start of the 2005 season.

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